ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2019
GPs' and nurses' perceptions of electronic cigarettes in England: a qualitative interview study.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- General practitioners' knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices surrounding the prescription of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation: a mixed-methods systematic review.BMC public health · 2022Pooled it
- The old and familiar meets the new and unknown: patient and clinician perceptions on e-cigarettes for smoking reduction in UK general practice, a qualitative interview study.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2022Trial
- Knowledge and attitudes toward electronic cigarettes among healthcare providers and health professional students: implications for patient counseling - A systematic review.Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine · 2026Article
- Prevalence of e-cigarette use and its association with knowledge and attitudes among palestinian medical students and physicians: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Healthcare professionals' roles, perceptions, and interventions relating to e-cigarette and vaping practices: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Attitudes of people diagnosed with cancer and cancer care providers towards use of nicotine vaping products in high-income countries: a scoping review.Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice · 2025Article
- Australian general practitioners' knowledge, attitudes and prescribing intentions for e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid: a nationwide baseline and 12-month follow up survey.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Usage patterns, knowledge, and attitudes of healthcare providers regarding e-cigarettes: A cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia.Tobacco induced diseases · 2025Article
- Perceptions of family physicians in Istanbul about e-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids: a qualitative study.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2024Article
- Exploring General Practitioners' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards E-Cigarette Use/Vaping in Children and Adolescents: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study in Sydney.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- 'Why do we have to be the gatekeepers?' Australian general practitioners' knowledge, attitudes and prescribing intentions on e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid.BMC primary care · 2024Article
- The Emerging Cloud: a survey of vapers, their health and utilization of healthcare within the UK.QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians · 2023Article
- Review
- Challenges associated with e-cigarette use by people in custody in Scottish prisons: a qualitative interview study with prison staff.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Harm Perceptions of E-cigarettes Among Smokers With and Without Mental Health Conditions in England: A Cross-Sectional Population Survey.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2021Article
- Healthcare Professionals' Beliefs, Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behavior Around Vaping in Pregnancy and Postpartum: A Qualitative Study.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2021Article
- Article
- Electronic cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid for patients with cancer: beliefs and behaviours of clinicians in the UK.BMJ open · 2020Article
- UK Research Priorities for Electronic Cigarettes: A James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Young people's use of e-cigarettes in Wales, England and Scotland before and after introduction of EU Tobacco Products Directive regulations: a mixed-method natural experimental evaluation.The International journal on drug policy · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundReports from royal colleges and organisations such as Public Health England suggest that GPs and nurses should advise patients to switch to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) if they do not want to stop smoking using licensed medication. However, there are no data on what practitioners think, feel, or do about e-cigarettes.
aimTo explore practitioners' perceptions and attitudes towards e-cigarettes, and their experiences of discussing e-cigarettes with patients. DESIGN AND
settingA qualitative interview study was carried out with semi-structured interviews conducted with nurses and GPs across England in 2017.
methodParticipants were interviewed once either via telephone or face to face. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
resultsInterviews were conducted with 23 practitioners (eight nurses and 15 GPs). There were three key themes: ambivalence and uncertainty; pragmatism; and responsibility. Many practitioners had uncertainties about the safety and long-term risks of e-cigarettes. Some had ambivalence about their own knowledge and ability to advise on their use, as well as uncertainty about whether to and what to advise patients. Despite this, many sought to provide honesty in consultations by acknowledging these uncertainties about e-cigarettes with patients and taking a pragmatic approach, believing that e-cigarettes were a 'step in the right direction'. Practitioners wanted advice from healthcare regulators such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to reassure them about the safety of e-cigarettes, practical tools to support the consultation, and to control their use by providing behavioural support programmes for reduction or cessation.
conclusionCurrent dissemination strategies for guidelines are not effective in reaching practitioners, who are offering more cautious advice about e-cigarettes than guidelines suggest is reasonable.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.